what happens...

...when a big brother eats a cupcake...

...and insists on kissing his little sister before he washes his face??

This does...

We couldn't even get her to look at the camera because she wouldn't pull her eyes off of Pete.

She's truly in love with her older brother.

b, the boycotter

I feel the need to clarify...

Do you blog? Do you write your posts in advance? {if you don't, you should}.

I do. You may think I blog every couple of days? OHHHH, no. Who has that kind of time? I schedule mine out...

SO - I was signed is as Brad during my last session. Grabbing pictures from his account and then not signing out. Rookie mistake. So, just because it looks like B posted for the next week...rest assured, he is still boycotting the blog.

randomness

I am a self-professed fidgiter. Fidgity McFidgerton. Seriously. It's no wonder my kids can't sit still...neither can their Mom...or their Dad for that matter.

Call if what you want - squirley {like my Mom used to say} squirmy, toe-tapping...it all means the same thing...annoying.

I can't sit still, and that includes at work. In an effort to do so, when I worked inside sales selling office supplies {did you really not know I did that? Yeah, I can't really believe it either} I tried to calm my nerves...and thus, I began sitting cross-legged in my desk chair.

{Criss-cross apple sauce as Jacks would say}.

{picture this...only with stilettos}

Today, after working with me for over three years, apparently my boss decided to say something about it. I laughed out loud at how ridiculous I must look. I mean REALLY who sits that way as a grown adult? "Me, that's who!"...and he chuckles as well. At least I can laugh at myself, right?? He knows I did prenatal yoga with Finley {and if you are pregnant, it is a MUUUUUST}, and thought it had something to do with that. Nope...I'm just squirley.

And who knows...the next thing you know I may be doing this. {yeah, right} He should consider himself lucky.

**Note, I have been increasingly wearing skirts to work, but please know I refrain {hard as it may be} on those days.

memorial wedding

The weekend of Memorial Day, we had a family wedding to go to. It was so much fun to have all of us together for a good time...

Apparently we were all in the dancing mood...Oh, and look closely..don't you love Avery in the picture I was trying to take of Kip and my Dad??

The wedding happened to be on the day of Kara's 21st birthday, so here are a few pictures in honor of the birthday girl! :)

I think every time we get together with my family it feels like a party, but THIS was a PARTY :)

the surrogate family

Our little gal is six months old. OK, so she's seven months old on Friday {yikes}.

Katharine, my favorite photog met us at the Arboretum in Chaska. We used to frequent about once a month when we lived there, but since moving last year we haven't been back! It was due time...and OH, back to Katharine...have you seen her blog? She's great. And the fact that she's a girl that can help kick back a raspberry flirtini and make you giggle your way through happy hour? That's just an added bonus!

I LOVE how the pictures turned out...now if I could only decide which ones to order {I think I flip through the proofs at least twice daily.}

Here's my little squatter. In my opinion, she's so pretty...but I may be bias??

And this look? The one that I'm SURE to get every day when she's a teenager?

I'm pretty sure my Mom saw the warning signs with me, too...I'm pretty much doomed.

I love how her pettiskirt swallows her up. In complete girliness. Even if she doesn't know if yet, she wouldn't have it any other way!

Then it was time for us all to take turns with the princess. First up was Pete

{who when watching me write this said...

"Don't forget to put I love you, Fin on there!"}

{Do you hear that? It's my heart melting}

Fin and Mama, trying to beg for a smile

And there's something about a Daddy and his all girlied-up girl that makes me smile. Especially when it's these two baldies!

Oh yeah, and have I mentioned my surrogate family? The children that I didn't have to actually give birth to, but pretend that they're my own? Because I loooooooove these kids so much I can't stand it. So it's totally appropriate that even though we were only trying to get a good picture of all of the grandkids, that Brad and I would get one of the {surrogate family} as well!!

The kids were being so goofy...but that's what was so funny. They're all just each of their own adorable little selves, and just because a camera comes doesn't mean the nice smiles do!!

an anniv

Today is my sister and BIL's anniversary. And when I say Brother-in-Law, I should really just say brother, because that's what he is. In a house of all girls, brothers weren't really in our vocabulary, until this guy came around.

They've been together so long I almost don't remember life without Eric in our lives. I mean, I think I was 15 when they started dating. He's known and been through every boyfriend I've had. Every.Boyfriend....Woof. :)

Today is their anniversary. Almost a big anniversary.

So Happy Anniversary to the couple that let me live with them when I moved home from Chicago, has made me laugh more times than I can count, has given me three children I truly love as my own, introduced my family to a great place to worship, and taught me a little more about marriage.

The Hoversons {heart} you guys more than you know.

they make my heart smile...

'Nuf said.

Found and Funny

I found this picture when going through some old ones. This is from last September at Kyle and Cassie's wedding.

It makes me smile.

I hope Jack's hair gets that blond again this summer, although with the lack of sunshine, I'm not sure his hair will lack the pigment it did last year.

That hair that makes him stick out of any crowd...

Our Preschooler

How can this little, curious, climbing, handsome, hilarious, spunky, never-sleeping, active, sand-digging, mischeivous, baseball-hitting, candy-loving man be done with his first year of pre-school?

Checkity Check It

Have you checked it out?

Check it out.

She's the bomb.

http://www.the-friday-five.blogspot.com/

The Things We Learn

Everyone says it, but you wish you knew now what you didn't know then....

Here are a few things I've learned (as taken on Memorial Day weekend)

Growing up on a farm really is better than in town (even if you can't ride your bike to your friends' house) Come on - look at all of the room for football!

Little sisters will keep you young...or at least make you laugh for the rest of your old life.

Grandpas will always give the best pushes.

A Mom of strong women is the strongest woman of all.
(And our Mom just may be the best that comes around).

I may have been an athlete, but I hope my kids get their skills from their Dad.

Some contests will never end...like who can swing higher??

Even with lots of girls in our family, I think we're officially outnumbered if boyfriends count. (So of course they don't count yet) Hee hee.

I'm only fast enough to race a 6-year-old.

And even he makes me tip over if spun around fast enough.

Girls have their Daddies wrapped around their finger.

But the biggest lesson I've learned...

I think I'd like to move back to the farm...what do you think, B? =)

Sitting Duck

I'm trying to get caught up on blogging. When Google throws you a non-working blog for a few weeks you realize how much of life happens in such a short period of time.

These are Finley sitting. She was exactly 5 months and 8 days old when she learned how to sit. Sigh. She now is crawling. Well, let me take that back. She is scooting. Across the room. With her little legs following the best they can. And her favorite activity?? Standing next to the ottoman with toys on it. Yep. Baby life is over. SIGH (did you hear that one??) Because I'm pretty sure if I sigh loud enough time actually might just stop for me for a few weeks. No? Siiiiiiiigh again.

I love the little chub she's turned into. And note to Kasey - those are not rubber bands around her wrists :)

Maybe a video should be next to show how mobile she is. But for now, I'm too busy picking her up to keep her from walking.

Does it get any better??

Does it get any better than life with little ones?
Ok -some days that may not be what I'm thinking...but most days, it is.

We Wigged Out

Brad and I have birthdays that are only 9 days apart. Good thing mine is first so I always know how much to spend on birthday gifts...kidding, B!

This year since we still hadn't had a housewarming party, we thought it would be fun to have a birthday party. Less to celebrate birthdays and more to have all of our hilarious friends over. And this wasn't going to be just any birthday party, no. It was a wig party. The only requirement, you couldn't wear your real hair.

We had SO much fun...

It wouldn't be a party without a PD&P door sign, right??

My sisses and me. Yes, those are two of my adorable sisters. Although it's hard to claim that I'm related to the sleazeball on the left.
I mean, really...who invited the pizza man to join the party? The funniest part is I was just telling one of my girlfriends how cute Kasey always is, and then she went ahead and proved me wrong. HA. Love you, Kas.

By far the trashiest family award. Parker was only there for about 20 minutes, but he rocked the wig with the best of us!

This was the only picture B and I took together. He kept combing his long locks all night. This proves why I like the fact that he shaves his head!

Liz, Carissa, Darcy and I

The staches. I found them at Party America for $1. I had to. So gross. There are so many other funny ones, but I didn't get a single picture of everyone together. Bummer. Who's having the next one so we can get a pic??

Oh yeah - and just so I don't forget. We thought it would be a good idea to ride toys down the driveway at 1:30am. I'm pretty sure my shoulder is still recovering from the continuous tip-overs...

Rog may be a little too big for the Plasma car, but who's counting, right??

I wonder what kind of a party we'll have next year....? Hmmmmm...let me know if you have any good ideas!

Hard Worker

Just in case you didn't know...

... learning how to feed yourself...

...one puff at a time...

...can be incredibly difficult...

...not to mention exhausting.

It's a rough life.